Shoe lasting machines

ABSTRACT

A shoe lasting machine having a rotary wiper movable lengthwise along the margin of a shoe bottom for progressively wiping an upper margin inwardly over an insole on a last fixed against movement.

United States Patent Anton Muhlbach Frankfurt am Main;

Gerhard Lauckhardt, Frankfurt am Main; Rudi Fichtner. Ober Horgern, all 0!,

[72] Inventors Germany [21] Appl. No. 881.509 [22] Filed Dec. 2, 1969 [45] Patented July 13, 1971 [73] Assignee USM Corporation Boston, Mass. [32] Priority Dec. 3, X968 [33} Germany [31] P18124613 [54] SHOE LASTING MACHINES 11 Claims, 11 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S.Cl l2/8.3

[5 1T Int. Cl A43d 21/00 [50] Field of Search l2/8.3, 1; 69/65 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,963,720 12/1960 Kamborian... l2/8.3

3.000.024 9/1961 Hlobil etal. l2/8.3

$233,438 2/1966 Hansen et al. 69/6.5

Primary Examiner-Patrick D. Lawson Attorneys-Richard A. Wise, Richard B. Megley and Vincent A. White ABSTRACT: A shoe lasting machine having a rotary wiper movable lengthwise along the margin of a shoe bottom for progressively wiping an upper margin inwardly over an insole on a last fixed against movement.

PATENIED JUL 1 3 I91:

"SHEET 02 0F PATENIEU JUL] 31911 SHEET 03 0F PATENTED Jun 3 I9?! SHEET an or PATENTEU JUL] 3197i SHEET 05 [1F PATENIED JUL] 3 Ian SHEET 05 [1 ATENIEU JUL 1 31971 SHEET [1 7 [JF PATENIED JUL 1 31911 SHEET 08 0F 2 El x.

The above and other objects and features of the invention together with novel details of the construction will now be described with particular reference to the embodiments The lasting of shoes particularly in the ball and shank regions has presented difficulties especially when the shoe last is fixed relative to means for wiping the margin of an upper inwardly over an insole on a last bottom. In this respect a wiping tool adapted to operate in this region generally must be complexly shaped to accommodate both heightwise and peripheral curvatures of the shoe bottom as well as to suit shoes of different sizes and styles. This has led to complicated wiper shapes quite ditferent from those adapted to operate on the generally flat portions of a shoe bottom such as at the toe and heel ends.

Certain machines previously available have avoided such complex wiper shapes by providing groups of fingers which are individually movable heightwise to accommodate varying bottom shapes and movable as a group inwardly over the edge of the shoe bottom. While such an arrangement performs an adequate wiping function, it frequently occurs that undesira ble pressure ridges are created at the edge of the shoe especially on fragile upper materials.

Other machines heretofore available have been provided with simple rotary means for wiping uppers progressively along the shoe margin. US. Pat. No. 2,322,193 shows a machine in which a driven roll; frictionally wipes an upper margin over an insole. Another U.S. Pat., No. 2,57l,l40, discloses a rotary wiper having helicallands used for the same purpose. In both of the above machines a shoe to be lasted is held by an operator and manually guided past the rotating wipers. While such machines avoid complexly shaped wipers or the undesirable effects of yieldable fingers, a great dealof operator skill is required to guide the shoes in such manner that the entire upper margin is properlywiped.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to overcome the above objections without requiring unduly complex wiper configurations and without requiring a high degree of operators skill. To this end, the present invention provides a machine in which a last on which a shoe upperis to be shaped is fixed in the machine in any well-known manner. A simple rotarywiping means such as a driven roll is mounted for movement lengthwise along the margin of the shoe bottom to wipe the shaped upper inwardly Over an insole on the bottom of the last. The wiping means is so mounted as to be movable widthwise Of the shoe to follow the peripheral contour of the shoe as controlled by a template. The wiping means is also movable heightwise against the action of yieldable means to follow the heightwise contour of the shoe bottom. In this manner, no operator skill is required to guide the simple wiping means along the margin of the shoe and well-knownlocating means can be used to fix the lastin accurate location in the machine. I

According to a further feature, the axis of the rotary-wiping means is adapted to tilt to maintain a parallel relationto the shoe bottom to insure proper wiping conditions. Another feature provides means for swingingsaid axis so the wiping forces are directed inwardly of the edge of the shoe regardless of the constantly'changing peripheral curvature of the shoe.

According to further features, the upper engaging portion shown in the drawings and thereafter pointed out in the claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS devices which operate on opposite sides of a shoe;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of part of the mechanism shown in FIG.

l and illustrating the principles involved in guiding the rotarywiping means by means of a template;

FIG. 3 is an end view of an alternate form of rotary-wiping device;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation showing the combination of a rotary-wiping device with a cement nozzle;

FIG. 5 is generally similar to FIG 4 but showing the combination of a rotary-wiping device with a heated member for activating preapplied cement;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged side elevation showing an alternate form of heated member;

FIG. 7 is an end elevation of a portion of the mechanism shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a plan view of an alternate form of machine in which there is provided a skiving tool which'is also guided by the template;

FIG. 9 is a plan view showingan alternateform of rotarywiping-device and its guiding mechanism;

FIG. 10 is a side elevation of a portion of the mechanism shown in FIG. 9; and

FIG. 11' is an end elevation in enlarged scale of the rotarywiping device of FIGS. 9'and 10.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows a machine embodying the invention for operating on a shoe comprising an upper 1 and an insole 2 which are assembled on a last'4'. As shown, the upper has been tensioned previously by elements not shown and is held in tensioned condition against the last by members 5 and 6. The lasting margins 9 and 10 of the upper are wiped inwardly over the opposite edges of the shoe bottom and are pressed against the insole bottom by rotary wiperscomprising wheels lland 12 which rotate in opposite directions as shown by the arrows in FIG. 1. Due to the friction between the wheels and the upper material, the'margins of the upper'are pulled sharply inward and. pressed downward against the insole 2. The wheels 11 and 12 are guided in widthwisedirections along the-lastingmargins 9' and 10 by a template 57 (see-also FIG. 2). The wheels are moved lengthwise along the periphery of the shoe bottom as guided by the template by movement of a slide 65 and adhesive applied to the insole bottom secures the upper to the insole in tensioned condition.

The wiping wheels 11 and 12 may be formed-of any resilient materialwhich is capable of exerting sufficient pressure but is sufficiently flexible so that a contact zone'is obtained which extends substantially across the lasting margins. A simple means of extending the pressure range maybe provided by teeth formed on the periphery of the wheels. As shown in FIG. I the wheels are provided with teeth 14 which-are slanted so as to bend readily backward as the wheels are pressed against the lasting margin. The teeth bend progressively as they slide inwardly over the full width of the respective lasting margin, pulling the margin inwardly and pressing it against the bottom of the insole.

Another form of resilient wiping wheel is shown in FIG. 3. Asillustrated a wiping wheel 71 isprovided with a plurality of pressure plates 72 each'pivoted for movement radially from the periphery of the wheel under the action of a spring 73. During the rotation of the wheel; the pressure plates 72 engage the lasting margin, first at theouter edge of the shoe bottom and then yield radially inward of the wheelunder the action of the springs 73 as they are dragged inwardly over the lasting margin. in this manner, the pressure of the springs 73 cause the plates to pull the lasting margin of the upper inwardly and press it firmly against the bottom of the insole 2. it should be understood, that other forms of wiping wheels may also be provided such as those having a periphery of undulated form or having a periphery formed of bristles such as in a rotary brush.

As the wiping wheels are moved lengthwise along the margin of the shoe bottom by movement of the slides 65, 66, they must also move heightwise to follow the heightwise curvature of the shoe bottom. To this end, the wheels 11 and 12 are mounted on shafts l7 and 18, respectively, which are rotatable in bearing blocks 19 and 20. The blocks are formed on the lower ends of plungers 21, 22 which are mounted for heightwise sliding movement in sleeves 23 and 24. The blocks and hence also the wheels 11 and 12 are urged downwardly by springs 29 and 39 mounted on the sleeves 23 and 24 respectively. The upper ends of the springs engage the underside of arms 58 and 59 from which depend the sleeves 23 and 24. The springs are designed so as to provide a substantially constant force over a range of movement so that the wheels 11 and 12 are pressed against the upper margin with a substantially uniform pressure as they follow the heightwise contour of the shoe bottom. It should be understood, however, that a substantially uniform pressure could also be obtained by using weights which urge the wheels downwardly by the force of gravity rather than by using the springs as shown.

The wiping wheels 11 and 12 as seen in FIG. 1 are driven in their respective directions by motors 44 and 45 through belts 53, 54 which run on pulleys 46 and 48. The motors are mounted on supports 55, 56 on the upper ends of the plungers 21, 22, respectively. The ends 60, 61 of the arms 58, 59 slide along opposite sides of the template 57 so that the wheels 11 and 12 are moved back and forth widthwise as they are moved lengthwise to follow the peripheral contour of the shoe bottom. To this end, the arms 58, 59 which carry the wheels are mounted for widthwise swinging movement on bolts 63, 64 respectively (FIGS. 1 and 2) which are carried by the slides 65, 66. The slides rest on bearing plates 69, 70 and are guided for movement lengthwise of the shoe by guideways 67, 68, respectively. The lengthwise and widthwise swinging movements of the arms are illustrated in FIG. 2 with only the arm 58 being shown. The slides 65 and 66 are moved lengthwise of the shoe in the direction of the arrow (FIG. 2) in any convenient manner, such as by means of a piston and cylinder device, not shown. As the slide 65 is moved lengthwise the end surface 60 of the arm 58 slides along the edge of the template 57 with the arm being swung widthwise about the stud 63 as determined by the contour of the template. These movements are shown by the arrows superimposed on the arm and the slide in FIG. 2. As seen in FIG. 1, a spring 62 which extends between the support plates for the motors 44 and 45 urge the arms 58, 59 inwardly so that the surfaces 60 and 61 of the arms maintain continual engagement with the periphery of the template. It should be apparent that the machine could be provided with only one wiping wheel rather than the two illustrated in FIG. 1 without departing from the scope of the invention. ln this respect, the arm carrying the single-wiping wheel could be guided first toewardly along one side of the template and then heelwardly along the other side.

of the wiping wheel 12. As illustrated, there is also provided a nozzle associated with the wiper wheel 11. The nozzle 74 is formed on the lower end of a feed pipe 76 which is mounted for heightwise sliding movements in the support block 20 for the wiping wheel 12. The nozzle is urged down into yieldable engagement with the insole bottom by a spring 81 compressed between a collar 79 on the pipe and the underside of the block 20. The upper end of the feedpipe is connected by a flexible hose 83 to an adhesive container 78 which supplies adhesive to the nozzle. As the lasting margin of the upper is wiped inwardly over the insole by the wiping wheel 12, it is pulled over the cement nozzle 74 and the cement flowing from the nozzle secures the upper to the insole bottom as the wiping wheel is moved progressively along the shoe margin. Since the nozzle is mounted on the bearing for the wiping wheel 12 it follows the movement of the wheel as it follows the contour of the shoe bottom. In this manner, the application of adhesive is combined with the operation of wiping the upper margin so that a separate operation for the application of cement is eliminated. As seen in FIG. 4 this arrangement is particularly suitable for securing the upper margin especially in the ball and shank area.

It is common also to apply thermoplastic type of adhesive to the insole before it is assembled on the last. Such adhesives,

. however, set quickly after application and it is necessary to reheat the adhesive just before the upper margin is wiped over It is common in the manufacture of shoes of the type illustrated, to secure the overwiped margin of the upper to the insole by adhesive which may be applied to the margin of the insole bottom before the insole is assembled on the last. Such an adhesive could be of the type which remains tacky for a sufficient period of time for the shoe to be lasted and would be particularly useful with the type of mechanism illustrated in F [08. l and 2. Referring to H0. 4 an arrangement is shown for applying adhesive directly on the insole bottom immediately before the lasting margin is pressed against the insole bottom by the wiping wheel. To this end, there is provided a cement nozzle 74 adapted to engage the insole bottom closely in advance the insole. Referring to FIG. 5, there is shown means for activating thermoplastic adhesive just before the wiping wheel lays the upper margin-over the insole. For this purpose, a heated member 85 is mounted on the support block 20 by means of a rod 87 which is mounted for heightwise sliding movement in the block. The rod is provided with a collar 88 at its upper end which limits the downward movement of the heated member. The member is urged downwardly into engagement with the insole by a spring 89 compressed between the upper end of the member 85 and the under part of the block. The member is provided with a heating cartridge 90 so that as the member engages the insole bottom in advance of the wiping wheel 12 the adhesive previously applied to the insole bottom is reactivated so that the upper margin is secured to the insole bottom as it is wiped over the insole.

An alternate form of heated member is shown in FIG. 6. As shown, the member is provided with a plurality of fingers 91 which are pivoted on a pin 93 and urged downwardly into engagement with the insole bottom by leaf springs 92. With such a construction, uniform activation of the thermoplastic cement is insured even when the insole curves sharply in a widthwise direction or is uneven in thickness.

There There is shown in F IG. 8 an alternate form of machine in which only portions of the sides of the shoe is wiped inwardly in the manner of the present invention such as from the shank portion over the ball area to about the tip line of the shoe. The generally flat forepart of the shoe is arranged to be operated on by a pair of wipers 7 and 8. During the wiping operation on the forepart of the shoe, the wipers 7 and 8 move the upper inwardly just over the edge of the insole bottom. At that time a skiving tool 13 is moved progressively around the forepart of the shoe to reduce the thickness of the upper. After the skiving operation, the upper margin may be wiped fully over the shoe bottom. Such an operation of combining the lasting and skiving of the upper about the forepart is disclosed in copending application for US. Pat. Ser. No. 828,237, filed May 27, 1969 in the name of Muhlbach et al. The operation of such a device does not form a part of the present invention and need not be described further herein. However, it should be apparent that the template used for guiding the skiving tool may be the same template which is used to guide the widthwise movements of the wiping wheels 11 and 12.

Referring to FIGS. 9 to 11, there is shown an alternate form of wiping mechanism in which the rotary wiper comprises a roll 101 having helical lands such as in a screw thread. This arrangement is also provided with a template 122 which is shown in FIGS. land 2. The device is provided with a guide bar 121 arranged to slide along the contour of the template to control the widthwise movements of the wiper 101 as his moved lengthwise alongthe margin of the shoe bottom. The bar 121 is carried on an upright post 116 which at its lower end is provided with a stud 117 pivotally mounted on a slide 118. The slide is similar to the slide 65 (FIGS. 1 & 2) and mounted for movement lengthwise of the shoe between two guides 119 secured to a supporting plate 120. The slide118 is moved lengthwise of the shoe by mechanism which may comprise a piston and cylinder device (not shown). A spring 130 (FIG. 9) which extends between a lug on the slide 118 and a lug extending rearwardly from the post 1 16 urges the post in a counterclockwise direction, as seen in FIG. 9, so that the guide bar 121 is continually held in engagement with the periphery of the template 122. A supporting lever 11] is mounted on the post 116 for heightwise swinging movement on a pin 115. A dependinglug on the left end of the lever, as

seen in FIG. 10, forms a bearing'for a holder 105 which at its upper end is provided with a bearing for a rod 104. At its lower end the rod 104 is provided with a fork 103 in which is mounted the rotary wiper 101 by means of a shaft 102. For driving the roll the shaft is connected toa motor (not shown) by a flexible shaft '124. Thus, as the slide 118 is moved lengthwise of the shoe, the rotary wiper is moved along the margin of the shoe bottom as guided by the template 122, and thy wiper follows the heightwise contour of the shoe bottom with the lever 111 pivoting on the pin 115.

To insure that the helical lands of the wiper 101 fully engage the upper margin across its width where the widthwise curvature of the shoe bottom varies considerably, pin 102 which is theaxis of rotationfor the screw, can tilt heightwise to vary the operating angle of the screw to suit the widthwise curvature of the shoe bottom by rotating about the rod 112. This ac-- tion can best be seen by reference to FIG. 11. For maintaining the wiper 101 in a centralized attitude, a slot in one end ofthe rod 112 receives the lower end of a leaf spring 113. At its upper end, the spring is secured by ascrew 114 to a side face of the supporting lever 111. Referring to the broken line positions in FIG. 9, it may be seen that the axis of rotation of the wiper 101 is swung back and forth so that the axis remains generally perpendicular to the edge of the shoe bottom regardless of its peripheral curvature. To this end, the upper end of the rod 104 is secured to an arm 106 provided with an extension 107 connected by a ball v joint 126 to the endv of a piston rod 108 extending from a cylinder 109. The cylinder is mounted for universal movement on a ball joint 110 carried by a lug upstanding from the supporting lever 111. By a suitable control device (not shown), the piston rod 108 is moved in and out of the cylinder 109 depending on the curvature of the template 122 so that the wiper 101 assumes substantially the correct wiping attitude relative to the curvature of the edge of the shoe bottom. I

The above description has been directed to the operation of a wiper 101 which is particularly adapted to operate on the inside portion of a shoe bottom where the curvatures may be extreme. Referring to FIG. 9, there is shown in outline form the bottom of a right-hand shoe. As shown, the wiper 101 is adapted to operate on the inside portion of the shoe bottom where thecurvatures are extreme. It may be seen that the left or outer side of the shoe does not have the extreme curvatures of the inside and it is possible to have a simpler operation for the wiper which operates on that side. Accordingly, there is provided a rotary wiper 128 located to operate on the outside of the shoe bottom. The wiper 128 is similar to the wiper 101 and except'for the fact that there is no provision to swing the wiper back and forth to maintain the wiper in an attitude generally perpendicular to the peripheral contour of the shoe.

Thus, the wiper 128 is mounted for heightwise movement to follow the heightwise'contour of the shoe bottom on a lever 127 which is mounted in a manner similar to the mounting for the su portlever 111- for the wiper 101. .moun ed for widthwise swinging movements about the axis of a stud'similar to the stud 117 in the slide 118. It should be ap- The wiper-128 is also parent that' the machine could be provided for universal operation on either right or left shoes by providing a mounting or may i' such as that for the wiper 101 at both sides of the shoe provide for different mountings as shown in FIG. 9. 3

progressively moving the rotary means along the shoe bottom,

a template controlling the widthwise movement of said rotary means as it is moved lengthwise for causing the rotary means to follow'the peripheral contour of the shoe and yieldable means urging the rotary means heightwise into engagement with the shoe bottom whereby the rotary means as it is moved lengthwise follows the heightwise contour of the shoe bottom.

2. A machine according to claim 1 in which the rotary means comprises a driven .roll mounted for rotation about an axis extending generally lengthwise of the shoe. so the portion of the roll engaging the shoe bottom wipes the upper margin inwardly over the insole bottom.

3. A machineaccording to claim 2 in which the periphery of the roll is provided with teeth of resilient material.

4. A machine according to claim 2 in which the periphery of the roll is provided with plates which are urged radially outward to engage and press .the upper margin against the insole bottom. I

5. A machine according to'claim 1 in which the rotary means comprises a driven roll having helical lands and the axis of the roll extends generally widthwise of the shoe.

6. A machine according to claim 5 in which'means are provided for swinging said axis so the axis extends generally normal to the peripheral contour of the shoe bottom as the roll is moved progressively. I

7. A machineaecording to claim 5 in which said axis is yieldably mounted so as to tilt. heightwise to maintain a generally parallel relationship to'the marginal area of the shoe bottom. I 8. A machine according to claim 1 in which rotary means are provided at opposite sides of the shoe for wiping the mar gin of the shoe upper inwardly over the insole bottom simultaneously at opposite sides of the shoe.

9. A machine according to claim 1 in which the means mounting the rotary means for heightwise movement is provided with a member engaging the insole bottom in advance of the rotary means and the member includes a nozzle through which adhesive is extruded onto the insole bottom for securing the upper margin to the insole as it is wiped by the'rotary means.

10. A machine according to claim l in which the means mounting the rotary means for heightwise movement is provided with a member engaging the insole bottom in advance of the rotary means to activate adhesive previously applied to the insole bottom so the upper margin is secured to the insole as it progressively wiped by the rotary means. 

1. In a machine for lasting a shoe comprising an insole and an upper assembled on a last which is fixed against movement in the machine, the improvement including rotary means movable progressively along the lasting margin of the shoe bottom for wiping the margin of the upper inwardly over the insole bottom, means mounting said rotary means for movement heightwise and widthwise of the shoe bottom, means for moving said mounting means lengthwise of the shoe for progressively moving the rotary means along the shoe bottom, a template controlling the widthwise movement of said rotary means as it is moved lengthwise for causing the rotary means to follow the peripheral contour of the shoe and yieldable means urging the rotary means heightwise into engagement with the shoe bottom whereby the rotary means as it is moved lengthwise follows the heightwise contour of the shoe bottom.
 2. A machine according to claim 1 in which the rotary means comprises a driven roll mounted for rotation about an axis extending generally lengthwise of the shoe so the portion of the roll engaging the shoe bottom wipes the upper margin inwardly over the insole bottom.
 3. A machine according to claim 2 in which the periphery of the roll is provided with teeth of resilient material.
 4. A machine according to claim 2 in which the periphery of the roll is provided with plates which are urged radially outward to engage and press the upper margin against the insole bottom.
 5. A machine according to claim 1 in which the rotary means comprises a driven roll having helical lands and the axis of the roll extends generally widthwise of the shoe.
 6. A machine according to claim 5 in which means are provided for swinging said axis so the axis extends generally normal to the peripheral contour of the shoe bottom as the roll is moved progressively.
 7. A machine according to claim 5 in which said axis is yieldably mounted so as to tilt heightwise to maintain a generally parallel Relationship to the marginal area of the shoe bottom.
 8. A machine according to claim 1 in which rotary means are provided at opposite sides of the shoe for wiping the margin of the shoe upper inwardly over the insole bottom simultaneously at opposite sides of the shoe.
 9. A machine according to claim 1 in which the means mounting the rotary means for heightwise movement is provided with a member engaging the insole bottom in advance of the rotary means and the member includes a nozzle through which adhesive is extruded onto the insole bottom for securing the upper margin to the insole as it is wiped by the rotary means.
 10. A machine according to claim 1 in which the means mounting the rotary means for heightwise movement is provided with a member engaging the insole bottom in advance of the rotary means to activate adhesive previously applied to the insole bottom so the upper margin is secured to the insole as it is wiped by the rotary means.
 11. A machine according to claim 10 in which the member is provided with a plurality of yieldable fingers engageable with the insole to follow heigthwise variations of the marginal area of the insole bottom and means are provided to heat said fingers to activate adhesive previously applied to the insole bottom so the upper margin is secured to the insole as it is progressively wiped by the rotary means. 